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Empire of Passion

"The haunting of a passionate love."

In a small Japanese village at the end of the 19th century, a rickshaw driver's wife takes on a much younger lover and the two conspire to murder him.

Top Cast

  • Takahiro Tamura

    Takahiro Tamura

    Gisaburo

  • Kazuko Yoshiyuki

    Kazuko Yoshiyuki

    Seki

  • Tatsuya Fuji

    Tatsuya Fuji

    Toyoji

  • Takuzō Kawatani

    Takuzō Kawatani

    Inspector Hotta

  • Akiko Koyama

    Akiko Koyama

    Young Master's Mother

  • Taiji Tonoyama

    Taiji Tonoyama

    Toichiro

  • Kenzō Kawarasaki

    Kenzō Kawarasaki

    Young Master

  • Sumie Sasaki

    Sumie Sasaki

    Odame

  • Eizō Kitamura

    Eizō Kitamura

Overview

In a small Japanese village at the end of the 19th century, a rickshaw driver's wife takes on a much younger lover and the two conspire to murder him.

Rating

6.9 / 10
135 Reviews
2 Popular

1 Reviews

  • talisencrw
    talisencrw
    9 Jan 15, 2016

    I am a great fan of Ôshima's work, though unfortunately I have only seen previously six films of his, all between 1965's 'Pleasures of the Flesh' and 1976's extremely controversial 'In the Realm of the Senses'. This, like the latter, was a period piece that looked at a doomed relationship (this time in 1895), though far less scandalous in its sexuality, though still titillating nevertheless. Exiled and forced to work with the French in order to continue his passion, Ôshima's storytelling, through Yoshio Miyajima's gorgeous camerawork and another exemplary soundtrack by Japanese scoring genius, Tôru Takemitsu, and remarkably passion-ate performances by its stars, Tatsuya Fuji (who separated his shoulder, his acting was so intense) and Kazuko Yoshiyuki (who, I must admit, has the most amazing nipples I have ever seen), was great, earning him Best Director at Cannes. It seemed a reverse noir, with Fuji's Toyoji playing the seducer, and Yoshiuki's once-faithful wife being persuaded to be co-conspirator to her loving (but not fulfilling her desires) rickshaw-driver husband, not to mention a fine ghost story, with Gisaburo's very patient ghost taking three years to finally bring himself justice, by forcing the community to press the horribly-incompetent (almost as inept as Doug McGrath's Sergeant Nash in the original 'Black Christmas'!) Inspector Hotta to eventually torture confessions out of the ill-fated duo. Another film to see with the person you love!...

Trailers & Clips

Recommendations

The Twilight Samurai

Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects seem to open up when the beautiful Tomoe, a childhood friend, comes back into he and his daughters' life, but as the Japanese feudal system unravels, Seibei is still bound by the code of honor of the samurai and by his own sense of social precedence. How can he find a way to do what is best for those he loves?

The Twilight Samurai

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